Athletes' perceptions of the motivational climate and the coach-athlete relationship

This thesis attempted to develop a clearer understanding of the social environment surrounding the athlete and the coach in the team sport context. To that end, achievement goal theory served as the main framework of the social environment's interpretation and was studied in relation to the newly developed coach-athlete relationship conceptualisation. The representative frameworks and conceptualisations introducing these two concepts were discussed in Chapter II, along with a review of the relevant literature in the domain of sport. Specifically, the association between athletes' perceptions of the motivational climate created by the coach and athletes' perceptions of the coach-athleter elationship in terms of Closeness, Commitment, and Complementarity, was examined in Study 1, which comprised Chapter III. Results from canonical correlational analysis showed that athletes' perceptions of a task-involving motivational climate were positively associated with high scores on the Closeness, Commitment, and Complementarity elements. Athletes' perceptions of an ego-involving climate were negatively associated with the Closeness, Commitment, and Complementarity elements. These associations were studied at one point in time, with a cross-sectional design. The second study, which comprised Chapter IV, extended Study 1, in investigating these associations across a nine-month academic period. Results from the Latent Growth modelling analysis showed that specific aspects of the task- and ego-involving climate and specific elements of the coach-athlete relationship changed linearly across time, whereas other remained stable. Moreover, it was shown that athletes' perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship predicted later change in athletes' perception of ego-involving climate, supporting the association between these constructs across time. The consistent association between perceptions of the motivational climate and the coach-athlete relationship provided the basis for examining their effects on potential cognitive, affective and behavioural outcomes through comparative models, in Study 3, which comprised Chapter V. The third study's unique contribution lies in the examination of the mechanisms through which such effects took place. Results from Structural Equation modelling analysis showed that both, perceptions of the motivational climate and the coach-athlete relationship predicted, through the satisfaction of the basic needs, substantial variation in athletes' motivation, role ambiguity, satisfaction, and performance. Collective results of all the studies, limitations, future directions and implications are discussed in Chapter VI. The intention of this thesis has been to extend past work on the study of the athletic social environment. An amalgamation and incorporation of motivational theories and a relationship conceptualisation was assumed to aid in a better and more holistic understanding of the athletes' experience of the social sporting context.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Golgi-retained Cx32 mutants interfere with gene addition therapy for CMT1X

Numerous GJB1 gene mutations cause the X-linked form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT1X). GJB1 encodes connexin32 (Cx32), which forms trans-myelin gap junctions in Schwann cells. Most GJB1 mutations result in loss-of-function mechanisms, supporting the concept of gene replacement therapy. However, interactions between delivered wild type and endogenously expressed mutant Cx32 may potentially occur in the setting of gene replacement therapy. In order to screen for possible interactions of several representative CMT1X mutants with wild type Cx32 that may interfere with the functional gap junction formation, we established an in vitro screening method co-expressing in HeLa cells wild type Cx32 and one of eight different Cx32 mutants including A39P, A39V, T55I, R75W, M93V, L143P, N175D and R183S. Some of the Golgi-retained mutants hindered gap junction plaque assembly by Cx32 on the cell membrane, while co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed a partial interaction of wild type protein with Golgi-retained mutants. Dye transfer studies confirmed that Golgi-retained R75W, M93V and N175D but not endoplasmic reticulum-retained T55I had a negative effect on wild type Cx32 function. Finally, in vivo intraneural delivery of the gene encoding the wild type Cx32 in mice bearing either the T55I or R75W mutation on Cx32 knockout background showed that virally delivered protein was correctly localized in mice expressing the endoplasmic reticulum-retained T55I whereas it did not traffic normally in mice expressing the Golgi-retained R75W. Thus, certain Golgi-retained Cx32 mutants may interfere with exogenously delivered Cx32. Screening for mutant-wild type Cx32 interactions should be considered prior to planning gene addition therapy for CMT1X

Understanding the experiences of heavy smokers after exercise

There is now strong evidence that exercise has an acute effect on the urge to smoke and the accompanying withdrawal symptoms. However, the perceptions by heavy smokers of exercise and its relationship to the urge to smoke have not been well documented. The aim of the present study is to understand the experiences of heavy smokers with regard to exercise and its effect on their urge to smoke. Five physically inactive, heavy smokers are asked to abstain from smoking the night before exercising on a cycle ergometer under two conditions (one at medium and one at vigorous intensity done a week apart). Semi-structured, in-depth interviews are conducted after the second exercise session. Thematic analysis reveals six themes describing the participants’ experience of exercise, urge to smoke, exercise preferences, exercise and smoking relationship, exercise as an aid to quit smoking, and the effects of the experimental procedure. Overall, the participants’ experiences support the existing literature, which has posited affective, biological, and cognitive mechanisms contributing to a delay in the urge to smoke after exercise. The main findings pertain to: (1) the “feel-good” effect after exercise as a relief from the “feel-bad” effect during exercise; (2) the decreased urge to smoke after exercise, stated by all participants regardless of reported positive and negative feelings; and (3) exercise as a “clearing the mind” mechanism rather than an attention-distracting mechanism

Perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship predict the attainment of mastery achievement goals six months later : a two-wave longitudinal study among F.A. Premier League academy soccer players

All football teams that compete within the F. A. Premier League possess an academy, whose objective is to produce more and better home-grown players that are capable of playing professionally. These young players spend a large amount of time with their coach, but little is known about player’s perception of the coach-athlete relationship within F.A. Premier League Academies. The objectives of this study were to examine whether perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship changed over six months and if the coach-athlete relationship predicted self-reported goal achievement among F. A. Premier League academy players. This study included cross-sectional (n = 104) and longitudinal (n = 52) assessments, in which academy soccer players completed a measure of the coach-athlete relationship and goal achievement across either one or two time periods. The cross-sectional data were subjected to bivariate correlations, whereas the longitudinal data were analyzed using multiple regressions. Perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship remained stable over time. The coach-athlete relationship predicted the achievement of mastery goals six months later. Enhancing the quality of the coach-athlete relationship among elite adolescent athletes appears to be a suitable way of maximizing mastery achievement goals, particularly among developmental athletes who participate in team sports

Culture change in elite sport performance teams: Examining and advancing effectiveness in the new era

Reflecting the importance of optimizing culture for elite teams, Fletcher and Arnold (2011) recently suggested the need for expertise in culture change. Acknowledging the dearth of literature on the specific process, however, the potential effectiveness of practitioners in this area is unknown. The present paper examines the activity's precise demands and the validity of understanding in sport psychology and organizational research to support its delivery. Recognizing that sport psychologists are being increasingly utilized by elite team management, initial evidence-based guidelines are presented. Finally, to stimulate the development of ecologically valid, practically meaningful knowledge, the paper identifies a number of future research directions

第806回 千葉医学会・第10回 歯科口腔外科例会 22.

Lack of CNS demyelination in LPS-injected Cx32 mutant mice. a-l: Images of brain sections at the level of the corpus callosum immunostained with axonal marker RT97 (green) in combination with myelin marker MBP (red) (a-f) or with myelin marker MOG (g-l) and DAPI nuclear staining (blue). There is no apparent alteration of myelin immunoreactivity in the brains of LPS-injected mice (b, d, f, h, I, l) compared to saline controls (a, c, e, g, j, k) from all three genotypes, as indicated. Scale bar: 50 Οm. m-o: Immunoblot analysis of MBP levels in brainstem tissue lysates show no significant change induced by LPS injection (LPS) compared to saline-injected mice (S) in WT (m), Cx32 KO (n) or KO T55I (o) groups as indicated. All blots were re-probed for tubulin to demonstrate the loading, and quantification of normalized MBP band intensity is shown next to each blot. (TIF 19222 kb